Incidence and pattern of injuries during the national rugby sevens circuit.

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Rugby in Kenya has grown to become a very popular sport. Numerous tournaments are played each year with some attracting international teams.
The injury incidence, patterns and risk factors remain poorly understood. In Kenya rugby has only recently gained popularity and as previous studies have shown injury incidence tends to increase as professionalism and competitiveness increases.
Proper understanding of injury patterns and potential risk factors is paramount in formulation of injury prevention guidelines, indeed injury prevention is a part of the game.
OBJECTIVE: To study the incidence and pattern of rugby sevens injuries during the Kenya national rugby sevens circuit.
DESIGN: A whole population cross-sectional study among 150 Kenya Rugby Union registered players.
STUDY SETTING: The 2015 Kenya national rugby sevens circuit. Five tournaments were played in Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu and Mombasa
METHODOLOGY: Match injuries sustained during the whole tournament were recorded in real time. The team clinicians (physiotherapists and/or doctors) were the primary data collectors. The injury report form as developed by the rugby international consensus group was used to record injuries.
RESULTS: There were 150 players from 12 teams participating in 311 matches (285 regular and 26 final matches). The incidence of injuries was 96.3 per 1000 player match hours(103.3 for forwards and 93.9 for backs). The incidence of injuries in overweight players was significantly
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higher than in normal weight players (133.6 versus 69.4 per 1000 player-match hours, p = 0.034). The most commonly injured body parts were; the ankle 10 (6.7%), head or face 9 (6%), foot or toe 7 (4.7%), anterior thigh 6 (4%) and posterior thigh 4 (2.7%). The incidence of injuries was higher during the finals (103.6) compared to the regular matches (94.2).
CONCLUSION: The overall incidence of injuries was 96.3 per 1000 player match hours. The lower limb was the most common single anatomic entity sustaining injuries with ankle injuries being the most common location of injury (6.7%). Sprains/ligamentous injuries were the most common type of injury (15.3%). BMI was found to be an independent risk factor for injury, overweight players had significantly higher injuries than normal weight players, p = 0.034